Appearance and character of the BSH
The short, dense and easy-to-care-for coat of the British Shorthair, its short, round head and large, round eyes are strongly reminiscent of a living teddy bear. She is, so to speak, the cat version of the baby-face effect. This is also what makes her one of the most popular cat breeds these days. Put simply, pretty much everything about these kitties is round – and we love it!
British Shorthairs tend to be on the larger side: fully grown males can weigh up to seven kilos, and females still around five. As is typical for larger breeds, they grow rather slowly and are only considered fully grown at three to four years old. Which of course also means that their playful phase tends to last longer. The best-known colour among British Shorthairs is the famous blue. But by now, of course, there are all sorts of other colours and tabby patterns too. With a solid colour, by the way, the cats are meant to be coloured all the way through – meaning a blue BSH really is blue from the tip of her nose to the tip of her tail.
Her character is – generally speaking – wonderful. As we all know, cats are extreme individualists, yet based on decades of breeding experience we can still assign certain character traits fairly reliably. So what does that mean for our beloved BSHs?
The British Shorthair is generally considered easy-going, sometimes a bit reserved, affectionate, cuddly and very lovable. She fits into families with children, but also with seniors. These cats don't have an overly strong urge to move around, which makes them well suited to apartment living – as long as you still meet their naturally pronounced need for movement and play.
What's special is that these furballs love to play. Female British Shorthairs in particular are considered very easy to get excited about play. HERE you'll find possible toys for your cat. This is also a great prerequisite for an indoor cat – because when we as owners can simply meet our cats' needs, happy cats are the result. Very important: if your British girl is going to live exclusively indoors with you, please be sure to keep her with a companion – because the BSH is very social and doesn't like being completely alone. And of course, be sure to meet her needs for resting, playing, exploring, scratching and observing. Some suggestions on what that can look like can be found HERE.
Towards strangers, the British Shorthair is usually not particularly open, but towards other animals she often is. Good socialisation is important, and in case of introductions, a well-managed introduction process.
In addition, these cats (very true to their reputation as Brits) tend to be quiet cats that don't meow much. If she suddenly becomes very chatty, that often means something isn't quite right.
Appearance and character of the BSH
The short, dense and easy-to-care-for coat of the British Shorthair, its short, round head and large, round eyes are strongly reminiscent of a living teddy bear. She is, so to speak, the cat version of the baby-face effect. This is also what makes her one of the most popular cat breeds these days. Put simply, pretty much everything about these kitties is round – and we love it!
British Shorthairs tend to be on the larger side: fully grown males can weigh up to seven kilos, and females still around five. As is typical for larger breeds, they grow rather slowly and are only considered fully grown at three to four years old. Which of course also means that their playful phase tends to last longer. The best-known colour among British Shorthairs is the famous blue. But by now, of course, there are all sorts of other colours and tabby patterns too. With a solid colour, by the way, the cats are meant to be coloured all the way through – meaning a blue BSH really is blue from the tip of her nose to the tip of her tail.
Her character is – generally speaking – wonderful. As we all know, cats are extreme individualists, yet based on decades of breeding experience we can still assign certain character traits fairly reliably. So what does that mean for our beloved BSHs?
The British Shorthair is generally considered easy-going, sometimes a bit reserved, affectionate, cuddly and very lovable. She fits into families with children, but also with seniors. These cats don't have an overly strong urge to move around, which makes them well suited to apartment living – as long as you still meet their naturally pronounced need for movement and play.
What's special is that these furballs love to play. Female British Shorthairs in particular are considered very easy to get excited about play. HERE you'll find possible toys for your cat. This is also a great prerequisite for an indoor cat – because when we as owners can simply meet our cats' needs, happy cats are the result. Very important: if your British girl is going to live exclusively indoors with you, please be sure to keep her with a companion – because the BSH is very social and doesn't like being completely alone. And of course, be sure to meet her needs for resting, playing, exploring, scratching and observing. Some suggestions on what that can look like can be found HERE.
Towards strangers, the British Shorthair is usually not particularly open, but towards other animals she often is. Good socialisation is important, and in case of introductions, a well-managed introduction process.
In addition, these cats (very true to their reputation as Brits) tend to be quiet cats that don't meow much. If she suddenly becomes very chatty, that often means something isn't quite right.
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